Grand Central Terminal, New York City

15 of 16

Bleary-eyed
commuters pass through Grand Central daily giving little thought to the
twinkling stars overhead. Painted with gold leaf and cerulean blue oil paint,
the ceiling mural in the Grand Concourse has 2,500 stars; the 60 largest that
mark the constellations are lit up. Though don’t expect the constellations to
match up exactly—many are backward (can you spot which ones?). Paul Helleu, the
French artist, painted from a medieval manuscript that depicted the stars over
the Mediterranean and from a different angle. The ceiling was cleaned and
restored starting in 1996, with a patch left to show the grit and grime that
once hid this celestial masterpiece.

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World's Coolest Ceilings

Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Bleary-eyed
commuters pass through Grand Central daily giving little thought to the
twinkling stars overhead. Painted with gold leaf and cerulean blue oil paint,
the ceiling mural in the Grand Concourse has 2,500 stars; the 60 largest that
mark the constellations are lit up. Though don’t expect the constellations to
match up exactly—many are backward (can you spot which ones?). Paul Helleu, the
French artist, painted from a medieval manuscript that depicted the stars over
the Mediterranean and from a different angle. The ceiling was cleaned and
restored starting in 1996, with a patch left to show the grit and grime that
once hid this celestial masterpiece.